[Infographic] Corporate Philanthropy: The Win-Win

October 25, 2014

As we reported earlier in the week, a new report from CECP shows that while giving by corporations in the U.S. increased between 2010 and 2013, the rate of growth in giving slowed. Based on a survey of two hundred and sixty-one companies, the report, Giving in Numbers: 2014 Edition (54 pages, PDF), found that the rate of increase in median total giving among companies which gave at least 10 percent more in 2013 than in 2010 — about half of the companies surveyed — fell from 21 percent in 2011 to 17 percent in 2012 to 6 percent in 2013. And among all other companies, median total giving fell 6 percent in 2013, the largest drop in that metric since the end of the Great Recession.

The folks at CECP argue that slowing growth in corporate giving over the last three years is a reflection of companies "normalizing" their business practices in accord with a sluggish post-recession economy. They also note that companies increasingly are focused on measuring the outcomes and/or impacts of their programs and that more and more companies are boosting their non-cash giving, including product, pro bono, and other in-kind contributions, as a percentage of total giving.

For nonprofits looking to win corporate support, the message is clear: more than ever, you need to focus like a laser on finding the right corporate partner(s) for your program and, at the same time, think outside the box in terms of the kind of support a potential partner is able (and willing) to bring to the table.